Nucleotide and oligonucleotide prodrugs

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses compounds of formula (I): 
                         
which exhibit antiviral properties. The present invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the aforementioned compounds for administration to a subject in need of anti-HBV treatment. The invention also relates to methods of treating a HBV infection in a subject by administering a pharmaceutical composition comprising the compounds of the present invention.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/750,036 filed on Dec. 13, 2005 and U.S. Provisional Application No.60/800,294, filed May 15, 2006. The entire teachings of the aboveapplication(s) are incorporated herein by reference.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

The invention was supported, in whole or in part by NIH Grant number 5UO1 AI058270-02/03.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to the design, synthesis, and evaluationof prodrug analogs of nucleosides, nucleotides, and oligonucleotides.The compounds, compositions and methods of the present invention areuseful for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections and liverdiseases associated with HBV. Specifically compounds and compositionsrelated to S-alkyl esters of novel anti-HBV agents phosphorothioate di-,and tri-nucleotides. The compounds and combinations can be administeredeither alone or in combination with other anti-HBV agents.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Acute and chronic liver infections caused by Hepatitis B virus (HBV)constitute a major worldwide public health crisis affecting nearly 2billion people including 1.7 million in the US (WHO report). There arean estimated 350 million chronic carriers of HBV worldwide. According tothe Centers for Disease Control, nearly 3 to 7 million people die eachyear from complications associated with the infection such as cirrhosisof the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma. Significant numbers of livertransplant recipients have continued needs for effective anti-HBVtherapy. HBV is recognized as an important etiological agent that causessignificant number of human cancers. HBV infection also leads tofulminant hepatitis, a fatal disease in which the liver is destroyed.Chronic hepatitis infection leads to chronic persistent hepatitis,fatigue, liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. The epidemiology ofHBV infection is similar to that of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).Many HIV carriers are co-infected with HBV. However, HBV is 100 timesmore infectious than HIV.

Although three anti-HBV drugs have been currently approved for clinicaluse, significant unmet medical need exists due to rapid emergence ofresistance, and dose-limiting toxicity associated with therapy. Thedrugs approved for clinical use includes alpha interferon, a geneticallyengineered protein, and nucleoside analogs such as lamivudine, andentacavir. Another approved anti-HBV drug is adefovir dipivoxil, whichis considered a mononucleotide phosphonate analog.

A number of synthetic nucleosides are being developed as anti-HBVagents. For example, the (−)-enantiomer of BCH-189(2′3′-dideoxy-3′-thiacytidine), known as Lamivudine or 3-TC, is claimedby Liotta et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,116.

FTC or Beta-2-hydroxymethyl-5-(5-fluorocytosin-1-yl)-1,3-oxathiolaneclaimed by Liotta et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,814,639 and 5,914,331. Seealso Furman et al., Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2686-2692,1992. L-FMAU or 2′-fluoro-5-methyl-beta-L-arabinofuranoyl uridine isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,565,438, 5,567,688 and 5,587,362.

Adefovir or (9-[2-(phosphono-methoxy)ethyl]adenine also referred to asPMEA is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,641,763 and 5,142,051. Thecorresponding prodrug, referred to as adefovir dipivoxyl, is clinicallyapproved as an orally acting anti-HBV agent.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,444,063 and 5,684,010 disclose the use of enantiomersof beta-D-1,3-dioxolane nucleoside to treat HBV.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,831 to lyer et al. discloses compounds comprisingtwo or more deoxyribonucleotide and/or ribonucleotide monomers connectedby internucleotide linkages for use in the treatment of HBV.

L nucleosides of different structures have been claimed as anti-HBVagents in filed applications WO 08/40164, WO/95/07287 and WO 00/09531.

Other anti-HBV agents claimed include: (1) beta-D-3′azido-2,3-dideoxy5-fluorocytidine (Mahmoudian, Pharm Research 8, 1198-203, 1991; (2)2′-beta-D-F-2′,3′-dideoxynucleoside analogs, Tsai et al., BiochemPharmacol. 48, 1477-1481, 1994; (3) 5-carboximido-, or 5-fluro-2,3unsaturated or 3′-modified pyrimidine nucleosides.

In addition to adefovir, a few nucleotide analogs have also been claimedto be anti-HBV agents. These include9[1-phosphonomethoxycyclopropyl)methylguanine], PMCG and its dipivaloxylprodrug, PMCDG and the trifluoromethyl analog, MCC-478. For a review,see: Iyer et al., Current Opinion in Pharmacol 5, 520-528, 2005.

Cyclic nucleoside phosphonate analogs and prodrug derivatives are alsonucleotide analogs with anti-HBV activity. The correspondingphosphoramidate prodrug analogs are converted to the phosphonatederivative by presumably by esterase enzymes. For a review, see: Iyer etal., Current Opinion in Pharmacol., 5, 520-528, 2005.

The concept of using chemically modified drugs as prodrug analogs is anestablished paradigm in the pharmaceutical development of a number ofdifferent drugs. The prodrug strategies permit transient modification ofthe physicochemical properties of the drug in order to: (a) improvechemical stability, (b) alter aqueous solubility, (c) improvebioavailability (d) target specific tissues (e) facilitate synergisticdrug combinations, (f) overcome first-pass metabolic effects, (g) serveas lipophilic carrier for hydrophilic drugs, and (h) serve as a chemicaldepot for sustained drug delivery.

A few prodrug strategies have been employed to improve bioavailability,to enhance liver tissue distribution and to improve antiviral potency.For example, modification of the phosphate group as the correspondingamino acid phosphoramidate results in more potent antivirals(Gudmundsson et al., Nucleosides, Nucleotides, 23, 1929-1937, 2004.Cahard et al., Mini Reviews Med Chem., 4,371-381, 2004. Glycerylphosphate and phospholipid prodrugs of nucleosides have also beendeveloped (Hostetler et al., Antimicrob Agents and Chemotherapy, 44,1064-1069, 2000) to improve oral bioavailability. S-acylthioethyl (SATE)and cyclic salicyl derivatives (cyclosal) are other examples of prodrugderivativation of nucleosides and nucleotides (Peyrottes, et al., MiniRev. Med. Chem., 4, 395-408, 2004) and Meier et al., Mini Rev Med Chem4, 383-394, 2004. Other prodrug strategies include 4-arylsusbstitutedcyclic 1,3-propanyl esters (HepDirect analogs) designed to undergooxidative cleavage by liver enzymes to release the active nucleotideintracellularly (Erion et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 126, 5154-5163, 2004).

In general, all nucleosides need to be phosphorylated to nucleosidemono-, di-, and triphosphates before they can become inhibitors of HBVpolymerase. Thus, nucleosides can be considered as prodrugs, which needto be activated in vivo. Since most nucleosides target viral polymeraseand act by similar mechanism of action, there is potential for rapidemergence of resistance and occurrence of adverse events such asmitochondrial toxicity due to inhibition of human gamma polymerase.Another problem with antiviral therapy is viral rebound followingcessation of therapy.

Prodrug strategies are also being applied in the case ofoligonucleotides (18-30 mers), which are being developed as potentiallynovel class of therapeutic agents using technologies such as aptamers,antisense, ribozymes, RNA interference, and immunostimulation [Forreviews see: (a) Szymkowski, D. E. Drug Disc. Today 1996, 1, 415; (b)Uhlmann E.; Peyman A. Chem. Rev. 1990, 90, 543 (c) Uhlenbech O. C.Nature 1987, 328, 596; (d) Zamore P. D. Science, 2002, 296, 1265; (e)Manoharan, M. Curr. Op. Chem. Biol. 2004, 8, 570; (f) Iyer, R. P.;Kuchimanchi, S.; Pandey, R. K. Drugs of the Future 2003, 28, 51 (g)Uhlmann, E.; Vollmer, J. Curr. Opin. Drug Discov. Devel. 2003, 6, 204].

Being highly charged, large molecular weight compounds, oligonucleotideshave unfavorable physicochemical attributes for cell permeation bypassive diffusion. Consequently, the design of prodrug analogs ofoligonucleotides has mainly focused on the partial masking of some oftheir negatively charged backbone by bioreversible, lipophilic groups.Several such analogs have been synthesized and bioreversibility has beendemonstrated in vitro. However, it appears that although the initialunmasking of one or two nucleotides take place rapidly, completeunmasking takes several hours or even days. For example, Iyer et al.,prepared S-acyloxyalkyl derivatives of a mixed PO-PS oligonucleotide andfound that in vitro, they could convert back to the parentoligonucleotide albeit slowly. A similar SATE prodrug strategy has beenemployed for oligonucleotide prodrugs. But, there has not been ademonstration of their in vivo potential either in terms of improvedpharmacokinetics of oligonucleotides or enhanced biological activity.Also, there are no reports of in vivo oral bioavailability studies ofoligonucleotide prodrugs or demonstration of in vivo biologicalactivity.

Shorter chain oligonucleotides (less than 8-mers) with lesser number ofcharges and smaller molecular weight compared to 20-mer oligonucleotidesrepresent a promising class of novel molecules with potentialtherapeutic and diagnostic properties. Indeed, recent reports suggestthat mono-, di-, tri-, and short chain oligonucleotides possesssignificant biological activity that can be exploited for therapeuticapplications.

However, the lack of oral, transdermal, and other non-invasive,patient-compliant delivery systems, coupled with inefficient cellularpermeability, represents a significant hurdle in the therapeuticadvancement of these molecules.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an effort to develop orally bioavailable analogs of di-, andtri-nucleotides, the synthesis and evaluation of a number ofS-functionalized, uncharged pronucleotide derivatives of a modeldinucleotide was performed. The design of pronucleotide derivatives wasbased upon the ability of a target enzyme to unmask a latentfunctionality to reveal the parent nucleotide in vivo. Disclosed hereinare the results of the design, synthesis, stability, bioreversibility,and cytotoxicity studies of various compounds useful for, among otherthings, the treatment of HBV.

The present invention provides a pronucleotide of formula (I):

or the racemates, enantiomers, diastereomers, geometric isomers,tautomers thereof,

-   wherein-   X=absent, O, NH, NR, S;-   X₁=absent, O, NH;-   A=absent, aryl, aralkyl;-   n=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5;-   R=alkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl,    aralkyl, heterocylic, O-alkyl, O-heteroaryl, steroidal;-   R₁, is H, OH, O-akyl, alkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl,    substituted aryl, aralkyl, heterocyclic, O-aryl, O-heteroarylaryl,    heterocyclic;-   R₂ is O-alkyl, alkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl,    substituted aryl, aralkyl, heterocyclic, O-aryl, or    O-heteroarylaryl;-   R₃ is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, C(O)-alkyl,    C(O)O-alkyl, C(O)-aryl, C(O)O-aryl, C(O)NH-alkyl, and C(O)NH-aryl;-   Y, Z are independently, O and S;-   B₁, B₂ are independently adenine, guanine, thymine, cytosine, uracil    or modified nucleobases;-   m=1 to 40.

Prodrugs in accordance with the invention, or their pharmaceuticallyacceptable salts or pharmaceutically acceptable formulations containingthese compounds are useful in the prevention and treatment of HBVinfections and other conditions caused by HBV such as liverinflammation, liver cirrhosis, acute hepatitis, fulminant hepatitis,chronic hepatitis, and other liver diseases. The compounds andformulations of the invention can also be used prophylactically toprevent disease progression in HBV-infected individuals.

A method for the treatment of a HBV infection in a host, includinghuman, is also disclosed that includes administering an effective amountof a prodrug of the invention including a pharmaceutically active saltthereof, administered alone or in combination or sequentially withanother or other anti-HBV agent(s). Preferred prodrugs of the inventioncomprise di-, and tri-nucleotides including, but not limited to,3-dApsU_(2′-OMe), 3′dApsA_(7deaza), and 3′-dApsTpsC and their analogswhere “ps” refers to phosphorothioate intemucleotidic linkages.

In this context, applicants have recently reported that certain di-, andtri-nucleoside phosphorothioate (PS) and phosphoramidate analogs exhibitpotent anti-HBV activity in vitro and in vivo. Although dimer and trimerPS analogs are negatively charged small molecules, studies of³⁵S-labeled compounds in rats have revealed that these compounds are notorally bioavailable. The lack of oral bioavailability may be due to anumber of factors including: (a) the acidic environment in the stomachthat cause substantial degradation of the nucleotide, (b) the negativecharge on the backbone that suppress permeation of the nucleotidethrough the intestinal mucosal barrier, and (c) the presence of variousdigestive enzymes in the GI tract that degrade the compound. Given thatboth longer and shorter chain oligonucleotides are not orallybioavailable, it appeared that in the case of smaller nucleotide classof compounds, charge rather than the size of the compound may be moreimportant factor in determining bioavailability and that masking thenegative charge on the backbone may potentially provide orallybioavailable nucleotide compounds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer tothe same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a ³¹P NMR trace of a typical pronucleotide.

FIG. 2 is a scatter plot representing the result of in vivo experimentsusing the composition of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a first embodiment, the compounds of the present invention arecompounds represented by formula I illustrated above, or racemates,enantiomers, diastereomers, geometric isomers, tautomers thereof.

In a second embodiment, the compounds of the present invention arecompounds represented by formula II as illustrated below, or racemates,enantiomers, diastereomers, geometric isomers, tautomers thereof.

wherein m is 1, 2 or 3; and R, X, A, n, R₁, R₂, B₁, and B₂ are aspreviously defined.

In a third embodiment, the compounds of the present invention arecompounds represented by formula III as illustrated below, or racemates,enantiomers, diastereomers, geometric isomers, tautomers thereof.

wherein R, X, A, n, B₁ and B₂ are as previously defined.

In a fourth embodiment, the compounds of the present invention arecompounds represented by formula IV as illustrated below, or racemates,enantiomers, diastereomers, geometric isomers, tautomers thereof.

wherein R₄ is selected from hydrogen, hydrogen, C(O)-alkyl, C(O)O-alkyl,C(O)-aryl, C(O)O-aryl, C(O)NH-alkyl, and C(O)NH-aryl; and R, R₃, X, X₁,A and n are as previously defined.

In a fifth embodiment, the compounds of the present invention arecompounds represented by formula V as illustrated below, or racemates,enantiomers, diastereomers, geometric isomers, tautomers thereof.

wherein R, R₃, R₄, X, X₁, A and n are as previously defined.

In a sixth embodiment, the compounds of the present invention arecompounds represented by formula VI as illustrated below, or racemates,enantiomers, diastereomers, geometric isomers, tautomers thereof.

wherein R, R₃, X, X₁, A and n are as previously defined.

Representative compounds according to the invention are those selectedfrom the group consisting of:

Compounds (1)-(8) of the formula A1:

wherein R, X₁, R₃ and R₄ is delineated for each example in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Compound No. R X₁ R₃ R₄ 1

absent H H 2

O H H 3

absent H H 4

O H H 5

O C(O)Ph H 6

O H C(O)Ph 7

absent H H 8

O H H

Representative compounds according to the invention are those selectedfrom the group consisting of:

Compounds (9)-(16) of the formula B1:

wherein R, X₁, R₃ and R₄ is delineated for each example in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Compound No. R X₁ R₃ R₄  9

absent H H 10

O H H 11

absent H H 12

O H H 13

O C(O)Ph H 14

O H C(O)Ph 15

absent H H 16

O H H

There is an urgent need to develop anti-HBV drugs, which are newchemical entites, with a novel mechanism of action that can be used incombination with other drugs. The di- and tri-nucleotide analogs of thepresent invention are useful as anti-HBV therapeutics and represent anew paradigm in antiviral discovery different from the classicalnucleoside class of anti-HBV agents. U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,831, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety, issued to Iyer et al, describes several di-, andtri-nucleotides, which have anti-HBV activity. Many of these compoundshave also activity against resistant strains of HBV (Iyer et al.,Antimicrob. Agents and Chemotherapy, 48, 2199-2205, 2004) and thedinucleotide 3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) (3-deoxy Adenine linked to Uracil by aphosphorothioate linker with the Uracil being modified at the 2′position of the sugar with a methoxy moiety) has demonstrated excellentanti-HBV activity in the transgenic mouse model of HBV infection (Iyeret al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemotherapy, 48, 2318-2320, 2004).

Several studies suggest that significant metabolism of 3-dApsU_(2′-OMe)and other di-, as well as, tri-nucleotides do not occur in vitro in thepresence of mouse and human liver microsomes. This would support thehypothesis that the antiviral activity of 3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) and otherdi-, and tri-nucleotides is due to the intact nucleotide structure andnot due to its metabolites. This is in contrast to traditional antiviralnucleosides, which require metabolic activation and conversion totriphosphate derivatives for their action.

The pharmacokinetic study of 3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) in woodchuck shows thatfollowing intravenous (IV) administration, significant plasma levels of3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) were seen with half-life of about 1 h. The dinucleotide3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) was eliminated in the urine as mostly intact material,which is suggestive of lack of significant metabolism in the liver. Thisobservation is consistent with absence of significant metabolism of3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) in vitro using human liver microsomes and wouldtherefore support the hypothesis that the antiviral activity of3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) is due to the intact nucleotide structure, and not dueto its metabolites. This is in contrast to traditional antiviralnucleosides, which require metabolic activation and conversion totriphosphate derivatives for their action.

The IV administration of ³⁵-labeled di- and trinucleotides in ratssuggest that following absorption, the compounds were very rapidlydistributed from the central compartment into the extravascular tissues.The compounds were largely concentrated in the liver and kidney, withminor amounts seen in other tissues. The elimination of the compoundsappeared to be slow. This study demonstrates that significantdistribution of the compounds in the liver occurs following absorption.Since liver is the target organ for HBV, the study demonstrated that diand trinucleotides readily enter liver cells. The potent antiviralactivity of dinucleotide 3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) in the transgenic mouse modelis supported by all the above studies.

The in vitro cell permeation study of di- and trinucleotides usingCaco-2 cells seem to suggest that intestinal absorption of these chargedmolecules may not occur. Since Caco-2 cells are somewhat predictive oforal bioavailability, the study seems to suggest that di-, andtri-nucleotides may not be absorbed from the intestinal mucosa bypassive diffusion, unless a novel formulation/drug delivery strategy isemployed. The lack of oral bioavailability may be due to a number offactors including: (a) the acidic environment in the stomach that causesubstantial degradation of the nucleotide, (b) the negative charge onthe backbone that suppress permeation of the nucleotide through theintestinal mucosal barrier, and (c) the presence of various digestiveenzymes in the GI tract that degrade the compound. Given that bothlonger and shorter-chain oligonucleotides are not orally bioavailable,it appears that in the case of smaller nucleotide class of compounds,charge rather than the size of the compound may be a more importantfactor in determining bioavailability and that masking the negativecharge on the backbone may potentially provide orally bioavailable di-,and tri-nucleotide compounds.

It is understood in the art that nucleosides, in general, are poorlybioavailable orally as such, and prodrug derivatization is adapted as astrategy to enhance oral bioavailability. U.S. Pat. No. 6,875,751claimed by Imbach et al., reveals 3′-amino acid prodrugs of2′-deoxy-beta-L-nucleosides as improved orally bioavailable prodrugs ofL-nucleosides. Similarly, SATE prodrug strategy has also been similarlyapplied for nucleosides.

However, the challenge in the case of nucleotides and dinucleotides isthat they contain highly acid-labile purine and pyrimidine moieties intheir structures. Thus, although masking the negative charge of thesemolecules might aid in their cellular diffusion by increasedlipohilicity, it is not known whether they will be stable in gastricmucosa long enough to be absorbed orally. Typically, for example,dinucleotide 3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) was rapidly degraded in simulated gastricfluid with a half-life less than 10 minutes. Such degradative process isknown to occur by initial protonation of nitrogen of the nucleobasefollowed by depurination and cleavage of the sugar ring.

Thus, given the susceptibility of 3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) to acid-mediateddegradation, it was not predictable a priori whether masking the chargeon the backbone might protect against their degradation, increase theirstability in the acidic environment of the stomach and hence promoteoral absorption. Again, it is well known that oral bioavailability isnot simply related to stability in gastric mucosa. For example, evenwith enhanced stability, it was not known whether these relativelylarger molecular weight di-, and tri-nucleotide prodrugs (MW >700daltons) could be transported across mucosal barriers. Indeed, not muchis known whether specific transporters exist that might facilitatetransport of these novel compounds across the mucosa by active transportmechanisms. According to Lipinski's rule (Lipinski, C. A., Adv. DrugDel. Rev. 23, 3, 1997), drug molecules should have molecular weight lessthan 500 daltons, not more than 5 hydrogen bond donors (OH and NHgroups) not more than 10 hydrogen bond acceptors (notably N and O), amolecular weight under 500, a LogP under 5 for oral absorption bypassive diffusion. Indeed both di-, and trinucleotide prodrugs arehigher molecular weight compounds and do not meet many of the Lipinskicriteria for oral absorption.

The di- and trinucleotide prodrugs of the present invention have novelmodifications or substitutions in the ring and nucleobases. Sinceesterases or other enzymes have specific structural and topologicalrequirements for activity, it could not be anticipated whether di- andtri-nucleotide prodrugs would be substrates for the enzymes. Inaddition, since many compounds described here are isomeric mixtures, andsince enzymes known to be stereo-discriminatory, it was not knownwhether individual isomers could be substrates or whether rate ofconversion to the parent molecule would be vastly different that wouldmake them less attractive as drug candidates.

Hence although the concept of prodrugs is known and many strategiesexist for making prodrugs of many compounds including nucleosides andmononucleotides, it could not be anticipated a priori, nor is itobvious, for some one skilled in the art, that similar prodrugs of di-,and tri-nucleotides might have oral bioavailability and consequentlycould be developed as orally bioavailable drugs. The present inventionprovides such compositions.

In one example, a number of S-functionalized, uncharged prodrugderivatives are claimed. The design of prodrug derivatives was basedupon the ability of a target enzyme to unmask a latent functionality toreveal the parent nucleotide in vivo. As representative examples, thegeneral structure of dinucleotide derivatives 1-3 derived and theexpected mechanism for their esterase-mediated conversion to the parentdimer 4 are depicted in Scheme 1, and include: (a) S-(acyloxyalkyl)thiophosphate analogs 1. The acyloxyalkyl analogs, exemplified by theantibiotics pivampicillin, and bacampicillin, as well as, the recentlyapproved anti-HBV agent adefovir dipivoxil are clinically used, orallybioavailable, ester prodrug analogs. Following their absorption, theconversion of the prodrug to the parent molecule is believed to occurvia esterase-mediated hydrolysis in plasma and/or liver, withconcomitant liberation of formaldehyde and carboxylic acid. (b) TheS-(acyloxyaryl)thiophosphate analogs 2. The acyloxyaryl analogs ofdaunorubicin, doxorubicin, phosphorodiamide mustard, acivicin, andPEG-daunorubicin conjugate are well known^(2b) and have been extensivelyevaluated in vitro and in vivo [Bundgaard, H. In Bio-reversible carriersin drug design. Theory and Application. Roche, E. B. Ed.; PergamonPress: New York, 1987; pp 13-94; For excellent reviews see: Oliyai, R.;Stella, V. J. Annu. Rev Pharmacol. Toxicol. 1993, 32, 521; Papot, S.;Tranoy, I.; Tillequin, F.; Florent, J.-C.; Gesson, J.-P. Curr. Med.Chem. 2002, 2, 155]. Although a reactive methylene quinone intermediateis transiently released upon hydrolysis of these prodrugs, rapid captureof a water molecule by the semi-quinone intermediate results in itsconversion to the innocuous benzyl alcohol species thereby minimizingany cellular injury. Using this rationale, certain nucleotide analogs orpronucleotides of the invention were designed including the esteranalogs (which have a long chain alkoxy group that imparts greaterlipophilicity to the molecule), as well as, the amide analog and (c)S-alkyl derivatives with a terminal functional group 3 are designed suchthat during enzyme-mediated hydrolytic process, a latent nucleophilicgroup is uncovered, which is juxtapositioned to attack the electrophiliccarbon alpha to the thiophosphate moiety resulting in the release of theparent dinucleotide.

Prodrugs or pronucleotides of the present invention also relate tocertain derivatives and conjugates of nucleotides, dinucleotides,trinucleotides and oligonucleotides. The conjugating moiety can be ofdifferent chemical and structural types and can be linked to thehydroxy, amino, phosphate or phosphorothioate backbone of thenucleotides or other functionalities in the nucleoside andoligonucleotides via ester, amide, isocyanate, urea, thiourea, carbamateor other type of covalent linkages. Given the unpredictable nature ofenzymatic action described before, certain conjugates may or may notchemically or enzymatically regenerate the parent nucleotide in vitro orin vivo, and yet the biological activity may reside in the conjugate orin the parent nucleotide or both. Specifically, several di-, tri-, andtetra-nucleotides and their analogs have been previously identified asanti-HBV agents (U.S. patent Ser. No. 10/146,175 and CIP). Hence, thederivatives and conjugates reported in this invention are applicable tocompounds cited in those applications as well.

All prodrugs of 3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) are mixtures of Rp, Sp isomers beingderived from the isomeric Rp, Sp compounds derived from3-dApsU_(2′-OMe). Similar arguments will hold good for tri- andtetranucleotides as well.

In one embodiment of the invention, the conjugating moiety represents a“masking group”, “R” that can be linked to the backbone of the formula(A) where R=acyloxy alkyl, aryl, and heteroaryl esters, carbonates,carbamates, amides and so on of the general structure shown in Scheme 1.The heterocyclic ring preferably contains 5, or 6-members containing O,N, or S ring atoms free or fused to another ring.

Masking the charged backbone may enhance the stability of the nucleotideto the acidic and basic environment of the gastrointestinal tract(having a variety of digestive enzymes) thereby facilitating oralabsorption. For example, the presence of a negatively charged phosphoricdiester or phosphorothioate linkage is believed to be essential fornuclease-mediated degradation of a polynucleotide. However, by maskingthe negative charge via the preparation of an S-alkylated derivative,the chemical and enzyme-mediated degradative action of polynucleotidemay be inhibited thereby enhancing the stability of the polynucleotide.

In another embodiment of the invention, the conjugating moiety might bea lipophilic group that facilitates the transport of the drug acrossbiological barriers such as the lipid bilayer of mammalian cells or thebacterial cell wall. Examples of such lipophilic groups include, but notlimited to, polyethylene glycol (PEG), cholesterol, cholic acid,phospholipids etc. The lipophilic group is linked to either the sugarhydroxyl, the nucleobase, or the internucleotidic phosphate andphosphorothioate linkage at one or more sites as shown in compound (B)illustrating the structure of a cholic acid analog of a dinucleosidephosphorothioate, 3′dApsU_(2′OMe) or in formula.

Typical Structures of dinucleotide conjugated to amino acids, andpeptides at the sugar hydroxyls, nucleobase and at the intemucleotidicphosphorothioate linkage are represented by compounds (C-I).

In another embodiment of the invention, the conjugating moiety might bea group that facilitates active transport of the nucleotide acrossvarious cellular barriers. Such moieties may be of natural or syntheticorigin including amino acids, peptides, and polypeptides.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the conjugating moiety mayfacilitate targeting of the drug to a particular tissue or organ. Suchmoiety includes monoclonal antibodies or other natural products, whichhave the property to localize in certain target tissues.

Two examples of natural products, curcumin and aspirin, conjugated totrinucleotides are shown in Schemes 2 and 3, respectively. As shown theconjugating moiety may be coupled via sugar hydroxyl or nucleobase aminogroups.

A nucleoside unit is represented by the internationally acceptedconvention of line drawing. In the example below a 2′-substitutedribonucleoside is represented in both the conventional structure and thecorresponding line drawing format.

The sugar units attached to B₁ and B₂ that give rise to α or β N- orC-nucleoside includes, but not limited to, furanose, deoxyribofuranose,ribose, and arabinose.

The term “aryl,” as used herein, refers to a mono- or polycycliccarbocyclic ring system having one or two aromatic rings including, butnot limited to, phenyl, naphthyl, tetrahydronaphthyl, indanyl, idenyland the like.

The term “heteroaryl,” as used herein, refers to a mono- or polycyclic(e.g. bi-, or tri-cyclic or more) aromatic radical or ring having fromfive to ten ring atoms of which one or more ring atom is selected from,for example, S, O and N; zero, one or two ring atoms are additionalheteroatoms independently selected from, for example, S, O and N; andthe remaining ring atoms are carbon, wherein any N or S contained withinthe ring may be optionally oxidized. Heteroaryl includes, but is notlimited to, pyridinyl, pyrazinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrrolyl, pyrazolyl,imidazolyl, thiazolyl, oxazolyl, isooxazolyl, thiadiazolyl, oxadiazolyl,thiophenyl, furanyl, quinolinyl, isoquinolinyl, benzimidazolyl,benzooxazolyl, quinoxalinyl, and the like.

In accordance with the invention, any of the aryls, substituted aryls,heteroaryls and substituted heteroaryls described herein, can be anyaromatic group. Aromatic groups can be substituted or unsubstituted.

The term “alkyl,” as used herein, refer to saturated, straight- orbranched-chain hydrocarbon radicals containing between one and six, orone and twelve carbon atoms, respectively. Examples of C₁-C₆ alkylradicals include, but are not limited to, methyl, ethyl, propyl,isopropyl, n-butyl, tert-butyl, neopentyl and n-hexyl radicals; andexamples of C₁-C₁₂ alkyl radicals include, but are not limited to,ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-hexyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl radicals.

The terms “aralkyl” or “arylalkyl” embrace aryl-substituted alkylradicals such as benzyl, diphenylmethyl, triphenylmethyl, phenylethyl,and diphenylethyl.

The term “heterocyclic” as used herein, refers to a non-aromatic 5-, 6-or 7-membered ring or a bi- or tri-cyclic group fused system, where (i)each ring contains between one and three heteroatoms independentlyselected from oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen, (ii) each 5-membered ring has0 to 1 double bonds and each 6-membered ring has 0 to 2 double bonds,(iii) the nitrogen and sulfur heteroatoms may optionally be oxidized,(iv) the nitrogen heteroatom may optionally be quatemized, (iv) any ofthe above rings may be fused to a benzene ring, and (v) the remainingring atoms are carbon atoms which may be optionally oxo-substituted.Representative heterocycloalkyl groups include, but are not limited to,[1,3]dioxolane, pyrrolidinyl, pyrazolinyl, pyrazolidinyl, imidazolinyl,imidazolidinyl, piperidinyl, piperazinyl, oxazolidinyl, isoxazolidinyl,morpholinyl, thiazolidinyl, isothiazolidinyl, quinoxalinyl,pyridazinonyl, and tetrahydrofuryl. Such heterocyclic groups may befurther substituted.

The term “cycloalkyl,” as used herein, denotes a monovalent groupderived from a monocyclic or polycyclic saturated carbocyclic ringcompound by the removal of a single hydrogen atom. Examples include, butnot limited to, cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl,bicyclo [2.2.1] heptyl, and bicyclo [2.2.2] octyl.

The terms “substituted aryl”, “substituted alkyl,” “cycloalkyl”, as usedherein, refer to aryl, alkyl and cycloalkyl groups as previouslydefined, substituted by independent replacement of one, two, or three ormore of the hydrogen atoms thereon with substituents including, but notlimited to, —F, —Cl, —Br, —I, —OH, protected hydroxyl, —NO₂, —CN, —NH₂,protected amino, —NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NH-aryl, —NH-heteroaryl,—NH-heterocycloalkyl, -dialkylamino, -diarylamino, -diheteroarylamino,—O—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —O—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —O—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—O—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —O-aryl, —O-heteroaryl, —O-heterocycloalkyl,—C(O)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —C(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —C(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—C(O)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —C(O)-aryl, —C(O)-heteroaryl,—C(O)-heterocycloalkyl, —CONH₂, —CONH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—CONH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —CONH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —CONH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl,—CONH-aryl, —CONH-heteroaryl, —CONH-heterocycloalkyl,—OCO₂—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —OCO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —OCO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—OCO₂—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —OCO₂-aryl, —OCO₂-heteroaryl,—OCO₂-heterocycloalkyl, —OCONH₂, —OCONH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—OCONH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —OCONH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —OCONH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl,—OCONH-aryl, —OCONH-heteroaryl, —OCONH-heterocycloalkyl,—NHC(O)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHC(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHC(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHC(O)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(O)-aryl, —NHC(O)-heteroaryl,—NHC(O)-heterocycloalkyl, —NHCO₂—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHCO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHCO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHCO₂—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHCO₂-aryl,—NHCO₂-heteroaryl, —NHCO₂-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(O)NH₂,—NHC(O)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHC(O)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHC(O)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHC(O)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(O)NH-aryl,—NHC(O)NH-heteroaryl, —NHC(O)NH-heterocycloalkyl, NHC(S)NH₂,—NHC(S)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHC(S)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHC(S)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHC(S)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(S)NH-aryl,—NHC(S)NH-heteroaryl, —NHC(S)NH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(NH)NH₂,—NHC(NH)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHC(NH)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHC(NH)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHC(NH)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl,—NHC(NH)NH-aryl, —NHC(NH)NH-heteroaryl, —NHC(NH)NH-heterocycloalkyl,—NHC(NH)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHC(NH)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHC(NH)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHC(NH)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(NH)-aryl, —NHC(NH)-heteroaryl,—NHC(NH)-heterocycloalkyl, —C(NH)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—C(H)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —C(NH)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—C(NH)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —C(NH)NH-aryl, —C(NH)NH-heteroaryl,—C(NH)NH-heterocycloalkyl, —S(O)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —S(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—S(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —S(O)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —S(O)-aryl,—S(O)-heteroaryl, —S(O)-heterocycloalkyl —SO₂NH₂, —SO₂NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—SO₂NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —SO₂NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —SO₂NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl,—SO₂NH-aryl, —SO₂NH-heteroaryl, —SO₂NH-heterocycloalkyl,—NHSO₂—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHSO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHSO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHSO₂—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHSO₂-aryl, —NHSO₂-heteroaryl,—NHSO₂-heterocycloalkyl, —CH₂NH₂, —CH₂SO₂CH₃, -aryl, -arylalkyl,-heteroaryl, -heteroarylalkyl, -heterocycloalkyl, —C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl,polyalkoxyalkyl, polyalkoxy, -methoxymethoxy, -methoxyethoxy, —SH,—S—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —S—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —S—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—S—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —S-aryl, —S-heteroaryl, —S-heterocycloalkyl, ormethylthiomethyl. It is understood that the aryls, heteroaryls, alkyls,and the like can be further substituted.

The term “steroidal”, as used herein, refers to any of numerousnaturally occurring or synthetic fat-soluble organic compounds having asa basis 17 carbon atoms arranged in four rings and including the sterolsand bile acids, adrenal and sex hormones, certain natural drugs such asdigitalis compounds, and the precursors of certain vitamins. Examples ofsteroidal structure includes, but not limited to, cholesterol,cholestanol, 3α-cyclo-5-α-cholestan-6-β-ol, cholic acid, cholesterylformiate, cholestanyl formiate.

The term “modified nucleoside”, as used herein, refers to any nucleosidethat includes a modified heterocyclic base, a modified sugar moiety, ora combination thereof. In some embodiments, the modified nucleoside is anon-natural pyrimidine or purine nucleoside, as herein described.Examples of the modified nucleoside include, but not limited to,2′-substituted ribonucleoside an arabinonucleoside or a2′-deoxy-2′-flouroarabinoside, deazaadenine, deazaguanine.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Reactants and Methods

Reported here are typical examples for the synthesis and evaluation ofselected prodrugs (pronucleotides) and conjugates. Representative datais shown for dinucleotide 3-dApsU_(2′-OMe), but with appropriatemodifications, it can also be used for other compounds claimed in thisinvention.

In the present studies, the R_(p),S_(p) mixture of the phosphorothioateanalog 3-dApsU_(2′-OMe) (5), was synthesized in large scale (I millimolof nucleoside-loaded controlled-pore glass (CPG) support) usingsolid-phase phosphoramidite chemistry, (Beaucage, S. L.; Iyer, R. P.Tetrahedron 1993, 49, 1925) in conjunction with a specially fabricatedLOTUS Reactor®(Padmanabhan, S.; Coughlin, J. E.; Iyer, R. P. TetrahedronLett. 2005, 46, 343; Iyer, R. P.; Coughlin, J. E.; Padmanabhan, S. Org.Prep. Proc. Intl. 2005, 37, 205). The dA-linked CPG support was preparedusing our recently discovered ultrafast functionalization and loadingprocess for solid supports. For the sulfurization of theinternucleotidic dinucleoside phosphite coupled product, a solution of3H-1,2-benzodithiole-3-one-1,1-dioxide (0.4 M in dry CH₃CN) was employed(Iyer, R. P.; Regan, J. B.; Egan, W.; Beaucage, S. L. J. Am. Chem. Soc.1990, 112, 1253). Following processing, chromatographic purification,and lyophilization, the sodium salt of R_(p),S_(p) 5 (˜60:40 mixture)was obtained >96% pure, which was characterized by ³¹P and ¹H NMR. Table3 gives the structures of specific prodrugs of 5, which were designed,synthesized, and evaluated.

TABLE 3

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

38

33

dinucleotide complexed with pyridoxine 34

Schiff's base of dinucleotide with pyridoxine 35

36 37 (suitably substituted 2-carbomethoxybenzyl (heteroaryl)derivatives may be used to deliver any pharmacologically active drug,involving an intramolecular cyclization, through the ester hydrolysis invivo.

Biotin linked either as alcohol, acid or as derivex compounds

Further, the prodrugs or pronucleotide derivatives 6a-j were synthesizedin yields of 50 to 70% by chemoselective S-alkylation of R_(p,Sp)-5 withthe corresponding iodo-, or bromo-derivatives 7a-j in aqueous acetone ormethanol, followed by work-up and chromatographic purification.

Synthesis of pronucleotides: Representative preparation of pronucleotide6a. To a solution of the dinucleotide sodium salt (50 mg, 0.082 mmol) inwater (1 mL) was added a solution of iodomethyl pivalate (7a (Table 4),85 mg, 0.35 mmol) in acetone (2 mL). The reaction was stirred overnightin the dark and concentrated with a few mgs of sodium bisulfite. Thecrude product was purified by column chromatography and 6a eluted out ina mixture of DCM/MeOH (90/10). Concentration in vacuo gavechromatographically pure white solid (31P NMR, 28.7, 27.9 δ ppm). Allanalogs were prepared using similar procedures (Table 4).

TABLE 4 Structure of intermediates # R X 7a¹⁷

I 7b^(@)

I 7c^(#)

Br 7d^(@)

I 7e*

I 7f^($)

I 7g^(%)

I 7h*

Br 7i^($)

I 7j^($)

I ^(@)prepared by the reaction of R—OH with CsI/BF₃•Et₂O;^(16a #)ROHwith SOBr₂/DCM; ^($)ROH with SOCl₂/DMF/KI;^(16b %)obtained by reactionof di-iodobutane and sodium nicotinate *obtained from commercialsources. Evaluation of pronucleotides t_(1/2) (min) CC_(50(μM)) # inserum Vero MDBK HFF 6a

>1000 >1000 >1000 6b

>1000 >1000 >1000 6c n.d.^($)  >300  >300  100 6d % >1000 >1000 >1000 6e>60^(@) >1000 >1000 n.d 6f >120^(@) >1000 >1000 n.d 6g>120^(@) >1000 >1000 >1000 6h

>1000 >1000 >1000 6i % >1000 >1000 n.d 6j % >1000 >1000 >1000*Conversion to the parent 5 observed; ^(@)Half-life refers to thehydrolysis of the ester, and further conversion to 5 did not occur;^(%)the pronucleotide remained unchanged even after 24 h in serum;^($)not determined as the compound was not soluble in DMSO.

The requisite intermediates 7a-j were synthesized directly from thecorresponding hydroxy compounds (Hayat, S.; Rahman, A-U, Khan, K. M.;Choudhary, M. I.; Maharvi, G. M.; Ullah, Z.; Bayer, E. Synth.Commun.2003, 33, 2531; Fernandez, I.; Garcia, B.; Mufioz, S.; Pedro, R.;de la Salud, R. Synlett. 1993, 489) or by halogen exchange reaction fromthe corresponding chloro derivatives (see Scheme 4).

³¹P NMR of each pronucleotide analog 6a-j showed two peaks in the rangeof 28 to 34 ppm (characteristic of the thiophosphate triester moiety)corresponding to a ˜55:45 ratio of the R_(p),S_(p) isomers (See FIG. 1).Evaluation of bioreversibility of the pronucleotides was carried out inrabbit serum in phosphate buffer at 37° C. In order to monitor thehydrolytic conversion of the pronucleotides to the dinucleotide 5,aliquots of incubate were removed at different time points, processed,and analyzed using reversed-phase HPLC. It was found that the analogs6a, and 6b readily converted to the parent 5 with half-life (t_(1/2)) of60 min and 30 min respectively. Also, complete conversion of 6a and 6bto the parent 5 occurred in ˜3 h. The analogs 6a and 6b were stable forup to 24 h in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.2). Furthermore, there wasno evidence of any significant stereodifferentiation or desulfurizationduring the hydrolysis of the R_(p),S_(p) isomers in the mixture.Interestingly, both 6a and 6b were resistant to the hydrolytic action ofpig liver esterase (PLE) and bovine chymotrypsin (data not shown),thereby suggesting that the analogs may have significant half-life inthe GI tract that could facilitate oral absorption of the intactpronucleotide. These observations are in contrast to the behavior of thecorresponding pronucleotides of R_(p),S_(p) TT-PS dimer wheresignificant stereodifferentiation was noted along with much slower ratesof hydrolysis in serum and PLE (Iyer, R. P.; Yu, D.; Agrawal, S. Bioorg.Med. Chem. Lett. 1995, 4, 2471). It is possible that due to differentsugar puckering modes in 2′-OMe-uridine (C₃′-endo) compared to athymidine (C_(2′)-endo), the global conformation of 6a and 6b may besignificantly different from that corresponding to TT dimerpronucleotides. Consequently, the ester groups in 6a and 6b may be morefavorably poised for attack by the nucleophilic site of the esterases.

Furthermore, all analogs were stable indefinitely when stored at −20° C.as lyophilized powder. We next examined the cytotoxicity profile of thepronucleotide derivatives in different cell lines such as MDBK, Vero,and HFF. As shown in Scheme 4, most analogs except 6c had CC₅₀>1000 uMin these cell lines demonstrating high safety profile for thesecompounds.

Example 2 S-isopropylcarbonyloxymethyl thiophosphate derivative 6k of3′dApsU_(2′OMe)

The target compound 6k is prepared in two steps.

Step 1. Preparation of Iodomethylisopropyl carbonate: To a solution ofanhydrous sodium iodide (6 g, 40 mmol) in anhy. acetonitrile (20 mL)chloromethyl isopropyl carbonate (2.9 g, 19 mmol) in anhyd. acetonitrile(10 mL) was added dropwise over 20 min. The reaction mixture, coveredwith aluminum foil (protected from light) was stirred at roomtemperature overnight. The solid separated was filtered, washed withacetonitrile and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure.Residue was dissolved in water (10 mL) and organics were extracted inether (25 mL). Ether extracts were washed with sodium bisulfite (5%, 10mL), later brine (10 mL). Organic layer was dried over anhd. sodiumsulfate, filtered, concentrated and dried under high dried vacuum. Yield2.72 g (58%); ¹H-NMR δ 1.3 (d, 6H), 4.95 (m, 1H), 5.95 (s, 2H).

Step 2. Alkylation of dinucleotide, 3′-ApsU2′OMe. To a solution ofdinucleotide (60 mg, 0.098 mmol) in water (HPLC, 400 mL) under stirringa solution of iodomethyl isopropyl carbonate (80 mg, 0.0166 mmol, 3.33eq) in acetone (1 mL) was added. Additional acetone (1 mL) was added toget a clear solution to avoid any separation of oily globules ofalkylating agent. The reaction mixture, covered in aluminum foil, wasstirred for 3 h, concentrated under rotavap conditions and later in highvacuum to obtain the reaction mixture as a white solid. This waspurified by silica column chromatography using initially chloroform andslowly with chloroform containing 2% to finally 8% methanol. Thefractions, containing major component, were combined, concentrated anddried under high vacuum overnight. The desired pure product 6k wasisolated in almost quantitative yield (68 mg); ³¹P-NMR (MeOH-d₄) δ 27.7,28.6.

Example 3 Preparation of S-Methyl Cholic Acid Ester 6l of3′dApsU_(2′OMe)

Step 1. Synthesis of chloromethyl deoxycholate. To deoxycholic acid (120mg, 0.306 mmol) in ethanol (4 mL) a solution of caesium carbonate (53mg, 0.160 mmol) in water (3 mL) was added. The reaction mixture wasstirred for 30 min and ethanol was initially removed under rotavap, andlater under high vac. The residue was lyophilized to give the cesiumsalt as white powder. To a solution of cesium salt in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF, 3 mL) at room temperature bromochloromethane(10 mL) was added and the aluminum foil covered reaction mixture wasstirred at room temperature for 24 h. The solvents were removed and thereaction mixture was extracted in dichloromethane (20 mL), washed withwater (5 mL), brine (5 mL) and solvent was removed after drying overanhy. sodium sulfate to give the chloromethyl compound (100 mg, 74%).This was used without any further purification for the conversion to thecorresponding iodomethyl derivative.

Step 2. Preparation of iodomethyl deoxycholate To a solution of sodiumiodide (304 mg, 2.03 mmol) in anhyd. acetonitrile (3 mL) chloromethylester (438 mg, 0.99 mmol) in a mixture of acetonitrile (6 mL) anddichloromethane (2 mL) was added slowly. The reaction mixture,protection from light, was stirred at room temperature over 48 hours.After concentration, the reaction mixture was extracted indichloromethane (15 mL), organic layer was washed with water (5 mL),sodium bisulfite (5%, 5 mL) and finally brined (5 mL). Dried over anhyd.sodium sulfate and the crude product, obtained after removal of solvent,was purified by silica column chromatography to obtain the iodo compound(110 mg, 21%).

Step 3. Coupling of iodomethyl deoxycholate. To a solution of3′dApsU2′OMe (50 mg, 0.082 mmol) in water (400 mL) a solution ofiodomethyl deoxycholate (110 mg, 2.066 mmol) in acetone (3 mL) wasadded. The solid separated was dissolved by adding more acetone (˜6 mL)and the reaction mixture was stirred overnight. Concentrated undervacuum and purified by silica column chromatography using chloroform tochloroform containing methanol (2 to 10%). Fractions were combined,concentrated and dried under high vacuum to give the desired product 6l(40 mg, 49%); ³¹P-NMR (MeOH) δ 28.2, 29.1.

Example 4 Preparation of N-(T-Butoxycarbonyl)-L-Phenylalaninate Analog 6m of 3′Dapsu_(2′Ome)

Iodomethyl N-(t-butoxycarbonyl)-L-phenylalaninate. ToN-(t-butoxycarbonyl)-L-phenylglycine (663 mg, 2.49 mmol) in ethanol (3mL) a solution of cesium carbonate (427 mg, 1.31 mmol) in water (2 mL)was added. After the evolution of gas ceased, the reaction mixture wasstirred for 1 h. The solvents were removed and lyophilized to obtain thecesium salt. To a solution of cesium salt (270 mg, 0.82 mmol) inN,N-dimethylformamide (DMF, 2 mL) bromochloromethane (5 mL) was addedand stirred overnight with the reaction mixture covered with aluminumfoil. The solid separated was filtered, washed the solids with DMF (2mL), and the filtrate concentrated under high vacuum. The product (206mg, 80%) was found to be pure by TLC (Hex: EtOAc 4:1). This intermediatewas used for the conversion to iodo compound without furtherpurification. To a solution of sodium iodide (196 mg, 1.31 mmol) inanhyd. acetonitrile (3 mL), chloromethyl phenylalaniate derivative (206mg, 0.656 mmol) in anhyd. acetonitrile (1 mL) was added. The reactionmixture was stirred at room temperature, with protection from light,overnight. Filtered, washed the solid with DMF (3 mL), and concentratedthe filtrate under vacuum. The residue was extracted in dichloromethane(10 mL) and water (5 mL), washed the organic layer with NaHSO3 (5%, 5mL) and brine (satd., 5 mL). The organic layer was dried over anhyd.Na₂SO₄, and concentrated, to yield the desired iodo compound (199 mg,75%).

Alkylation of 3′dApsU_(2′OMe). To a solution of 3′dApsU2′OMe (44 mg,0.072 mmol) in water (400 ul), the iodide (100 mg, 0.25 mmol) in acetone(800 ul) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred over night. Thereaction mixture was concentrated under vacuum, lyophilized, andpurified by silica column chromatography using chloroform and mixturecontaining chloroform and methanol (2% to 10%). Fractions werecollected, combined, concentrated and dried under high vacuum to givethe t-Boc protected phenylalanine coupled product 6 m (40 mg, 65%);³¹P-NMR (MeOH-d₄) δ 28.7, 27.9.

Example 5 Preparation of 4-Acetamidobenzyl Derivative 6n of3′dApsU_(2′OMe)

Preparation of 4-acetamidobenzyl alcohol. To a solution of4-acetamidobenzaldehyde (10 g, 61.3 mmol) in methanol (100 mL) was addedsodium borohydride (800 mg) at room temperature in portions. Thereaction mixture was stirred over night, and the progress of reactionchecked by TLC using 4:1 hexanes: EtOAc as eluent. Absence of startingmaterial indicated the completion of reduction and the reaction mixturewas concentrated in a rotavap. The residue was partitioned between water(25 mL) and ethyl acetate (4×50 mL) and the organic layer was washedwith brine (25 mL). The ethyl acetate layer was dried over anhydroussodium sulfate and the removal of the solvent gave the alcohol as a paleyellow solid, which was dried under high vacuum. 8.6 g (85%); ¹H NMR(DMSO-d₆): δ 2.0 (s, 3H), 4.5 (d, 2H), 5.2 (t, 1H), 7.25 (d, 2H), 7.55(d, 2H), 9.95 (s, 1H).

Preparation of 4-acetamidobenzyl iodide. To a cooled solution of anhyd.DMF (5 mL) was added thionyl chloride (0.2 mL, 2.8 mmol). The mixturewas stirred for 10 min and a solution of KI (2.49 g, 15 mmol) in anhyd.DMF (12 mL) was added followed by the addition of alcohol (0.165 g, 1mmol). The reaction mixture was stirred in the ice-bath for 3 h andallowed to stir at r.t. overnight. The reaction mixture was poured intoice-water (25 mL) and extracted with ether (3×25 mL). The ether layerwas washed with brine, dried over anhyd. sodium sulfate and concentratedto remove the solvent. The product was obtained (138 mg, 50%) as a cleanyellow solid. (TLC Hex: EtOAc (1:1). ¹H NMR (CDCl₃): δ 2.17 (s, 3H),4.45 (s, 2H), 7.17 (br. s, 1H), 7.33 (d, 2H), 7.43 (d, 2H). Thiscompound was also prepared with improved yields (˜75%) using cesiumiodide and boron trifluoride etherate in acetonitrile. The coupling of4-acetamidobenzyl iodide with 3′dApsU2′OMe was done as described for thecholic acid analog before.

Example 6 Synthesis of 4-Benzamidobutyl Analog 6o of 3′dApsU_(2′OMe)

Preparation of 4-benzamidobutyl iodide: To cold anhydrous DMF (5 mL) at0-5° C. was added thionyl chloride (0.2 mL) and the mixture was stirredfor 15 min. A solution of potassium iodide (2.4 g, 5 mmol) in anhy. DMF(8 mL) followed by a solution of 4-benzamidobutanol (193 mg, 1 mmol) inanhy. DMF (2 mL) was added. The colored reaction mixture was stirredovernight. The reaction mixture was worked up by pouring into ice-coldwater (˜10 mL) and extracted with ether (3×15 mL). Finally, the etherlayer was washed with water, brine and dried over anhydrous sodiumsulfate. The crude product, obtained after filtration and removal of thesolvent, was purified by column chromatography using a mixture of hexaneand ethyl acetate (4:1) to give the iodo compound as an oil. 45%; ¹H NMR(CDCl₃): δ 1.77 (m, 2H), 1.93 (m, 2H), 3.23 (t, 2H), 3.55 (q, 2H), 6.26(br. s, 1H), 7.48 (m, 3H), 7.75 (m, 2H).

Coupling of the 4-benzamidobutyl iodide with 3′dApsU2′OMe was carriedout as before to obtain the title compound 6o.

Example 7 Synthesis of 5-Benzoyloxypentyl Analog of 3′dApsU_(2′OMe)

Preparation of 5-benzoyloxypentan-1-ol: A mixture of benzoic acid (1 g),1,5-pentanediol (5 mL) and p-toluenesulfonic acid (110 mg) was heated inan oil-bath at 100° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled toroom temperature, poured into water (50 mL) and extracted with EtOAc(2×25 mL), washed with sodium carbonated (5%, 20 mL) followed by brine(15 mL). The organic layer was dried over anhyd. sodium sulfate,filtered and concentrated to give almost pure product (1.15 g, 67%);

Preparation of 5-benzoyloxy-1-iodopentane. 36% yield. ¹H NMR (CDCl₃): δ1.57 (m, 2H), 1.85 (m, 4H), 3.22 (t, 2H), 4.33 (t, 2H), 7.44 (m, 2H),7.57 (m, 1H), 8.04 (m, 2H).

The coupling of 5-benzoyloxy-1-iodopentane with 3′dApsU2′OMe was carriedout as before.

Preparation of 5-benzoyloxybutan-1-ol: This was prepared in 73% yieldusing 1,4-butanediol in the procedure for 5-benzoylpentan-1-ol.

Example 8 Synthesis of 4-Acetoxybenzyl Analog 6q of 3′dApsU_(2′OMe)

Step 1. Preparation of 4-acetoxybenzyl alcohol: To a cooled suspensionof 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (1.95 g, 14 mmol) in ethyl acetate (25 mL) inan ice-bath, triethylamine (2.1 mL, 14.9 mmol) was added in one lotunder stirring. A solution of acetyl chloride (1.1 mL, 15.5 mmol) inethyl acetate (12 mL) was added dropwise from an addition funnel. Thereaction mixture was stirred overnight. The solid was filtered, washedwith ethyl acetate and the residue, after concentration, was purified bycolumn chromatography using hexanes initially and later gradually to 40%ethyl acetate. Yield 40%. ¹H-NMR (CDCl₃), δ 2.02 (br. s, 1H), 2.29 (s,3H), 4.65 (s, 2H), 7.07 (d, 2H), 7.36 (d, 2H).

Step 2. Preparation of 4-acetoxybenzyl iodide: To a solution of4-acetoxybenzyl alcohol (0.332 g, 2 mmol), and cesium iodide (0.571 g,2.2 mmol) in anhyd. acetonitrile (10 mL) under nitrogen, borontrifluoride etherate (0.28 mL, 2.2 mmol) in acetonitrile (5 mL) wasintroduced. After stirring overnight, the reaction mixture was pouredinto ice-cold water (20 mL) and the solid separated was filtered, washedwith water and later with hexanes. The product was dried under highvacuum. Yield, 0.39 g, 71%; TLC, hexanes: EtOAC (4:1). ¹H NMR (CDCl₃): δ2.3 (s, 3H), 4.35 (s, 2H), 7.05 (d, 2H), 7.5 (d, 2H).

Step 3. Synthesis of 4-acetoxybenzyl analog of 3′dApsU_(2′oMe).Alkylation of 3′dApsU_(2′OMe) with 4-acetoxybenzyl iodide was carriedout as before.

Example 9 Cytotoxicity Assays

Standard MTT assays were performed in 96-well plates using the PromegaCellTiter96 Non-radioactive Cell Proliferation Assay Kit in conjunctionwith a 96-well Plate Reader (ThermoMax, Molecular devices), and usingMDBK, Vero, and HFF cell lines (obtained from ATCC). Several controlswere employed including the nucleoside analogs 3TC, AZT, and ddC, aswell as, media without drugs. SDS was used as a positive cytotoxiccontrol. All pronucleotides were tested in triplicate at concentrationsof 100, 300, and 1000 μM. Following a 24-hour incubation of cells withthe test substance, the MTT assay was carried out. The data are shown inTable 5.

TABLE 5 ³¹P-NMR and Cytotoxicity data on selected prodrugs ³¹PCytotoxicity assay (uM) Prodrugs Alkylating Agent (δ ppm) Vero MDBK HFF6a (9001)

27.9, 28.7 >1000 >1000 >1000 61 (9023)

29.7, 30.5 >1000 >1000 >1000

— — — — 6m (9022)

27.9, 28.7 >1000 >1000 >1000 6r

27.5, 28.4 n.d. n.d. n.d. 6k

27.7, 28.6 >1000 >1000 >1000 6s

27.1, 27.9 >1000 >1000 >1000 6t

26.0, 26.7 >1000 >1000 >1000 6u

31.4, 32.3 >1000  >300 >1000

Example 10 Bioreversibility Evaluation of the Prodrugs

Bioreversibility studies were carried out as follows: A stock solutionof each analog was prepared by dissolving 2 mg in 100 μL of DMSO. 10 μLaliquots were diluted with 90 μL of phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.0) and100 μL aliquots of rabbit serum. The mixture was incubated at 37° C. ina water bath. Aliquots were removed at different time points and dilutedwith 200 μL of methanol to stop the reaction. The incubate was thencentrifuged, supernatant concentrated in a speed vac and diluted with200 μL of 0.1 M ammonium acetate buffer prior to injection into HPLC.Reversed-phase HPLC analysis was carried out using a Waters Instrumentequipped with a 699 Egradient controller, and a 996 photodiode arraydetector with Millennium software. X-terra MS C18 2.5 μm, 2.1×20 mmcolumn and an operating gradient of 100% A to 80% B over 30 minutes ofbuffer A (0.1 M NH4OAc) and buffer B (80:20, CH3CN:NH4OAc) was employed.Retention time for prodrugs ranged from 16 to 18 minutes whereas that ofthe Rp,Sp dinucleotide 5 was 13.5, 13.8 minutes.

Typically for example, amino acid derived prodrug 6m and carbonatederivative 6k underwent almost complete conversion to 3′dApsU_(2′OMe) in˜3 h on serum treatment. Other prodrugs had different rates ofconversion to the parent dinucleotide. Some prodrugs did not convertback to the parent under the conditions of the experiment.

Example 11 Stability

The stability of prodrugs in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulatedintestine fluid (SIF) at 37° C. were examined. SGF and SIF were preparedfollowing reported procedures and prodrugs were incubated separatelywith SGF and SIF for 1 h at 37° C., processed, and analyzed usingreverse-phase HPLC. It was found that parent dinucleotide3′dApsU_(2′OMe) was not stable in SGF decomposing in about 15 min butwas relatively stable in SIF. All prodrugs were significantly stable inSGF with half-lives ranging from 1 to 3 hours. In SIF, S-acyloxyalkylprodrugs were converted to the parent dinucleotide with half-life ofabout 1 h.

Example 12 Oral Bioavailability

The oral bioavailability of the prodrugs was determined in CD-1 mice.Each of the representative prodrugs 6a, 6k, 6l were dissolved in waterand administered to groups of mice by oral gavage. Male Swiss-Webstermice weighing between 20 to 30 g (Charles River Labs) were used for thestudy. At designated time points of 5, 15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes, micewere sacrificed and the blood collected by cardiac puncture. Liver,kidney, stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum and brain were removed andfrozen in dry ice until processing. Plasma was separated from blood bycentrifugation and processed for analysis of the drug content byreversed-phase HPLC. Levels of each prodrug and/or the parent3′dApsU_(2′OMe) were determined by analytical HPLC. Tissue samples(principally liver) were processed following homogenization in 1% SDS inthe presence of 0.1 M NaOAc. The homogenate was added to a PALL 50Kconcentrator and centrifuged for 2 h at 3000 rpm. A sample was run on areversed-phase HPLC column (2.1×20 mm X-Terra column), flow rate 1ml/min, 30 min gradient of 100% A (0.1 M NH₄OAc) to 100% B(acetonitrile: 0.1 M NH₄OAC, 80:20). In the case of blood, prodrug couldbe detected in early time points whereas at later time points, mainlythe parent dinucleotide 3′dApsU_(2′OMe) was seen. In the case of liver,mainly 3′dApsU_(2′OMe) was seen. These observations are consistent withoral absorption of the prodrug followed by enzyme-mediated conversion ofthe prodrug to the 3′dApsU_(2′OMe). Most likely, the enzymes responsiblefor the conversion of the prodrug to 3′dApsU_(2′OMe) are esterases foundboth in blood and in tissues. The estimate of oral bioavailabilityranges from 5 to 15% in plasma and liver.

Example 13 In Vivo Anti-HBV Activity of the Prodrugs

Certain prodrugs were evaluated in the transgenic mouse model of HBVinfection. Male transgenic mouse infected with HBV, with age rangingfrom 78 to 108 days were used. The prodrugs 6a and 6k were initiallyevaluated at a single dose of 300 to 400 mg/kg, administered daily for14 days by oral gavage. The compounds were administered in citric acidand adefovir dipivoxil was used as a positive control. A control groupwhich received vehicle was used a negative control. Following thetreatment, mice were sacrificed and liver tissue analyzed for HBV DNAusing Southern blot analysis. The data was statistically evaluated usingKruskall-Wallis non-parametric ANOVA and are the plot shown in FIG. 2.Both prodrugs 6a and 6k produced up to 2 log reduction of liver HBV DNAcompared to untreated control, which was statistically significant withp values 0.01 to 0.001.

Example 14 Effect of Oral Administration of Compounds 6a and 6k onHepatitis B Virus in Transgenic Mice

Male and female transgenic mice (founder 1.3.32) were infected withhuman hepatitis B virus. Following infection, animals were orallyadministered compounds 6a or 6k, or a placebo of 0.05 M citric acid, pH2.0 once daily for 14 days. Dosages were 400 mg/kg/d, for compound 6aand 300 mg/kg/d for compound 6k. The positive control, ADV, wasadministered at 10 mg/kg/d. The data are summarized in Tables 6 and 7.Statistical significance is indicated as *P≦0.05, **P≦0.01, ***P≦0.001compared to placebo vehicle. Measurements of serum HBeAg, PEI arereported according to International Immuno Diagnostics standardizedassay using Paul Ehrlich International Units (PEI U). The study alsoestablished that there was no apparent toxicity at the high dosesemployed.

TABLE 6 QPCR Liver HBV Southern blot Liver Liver HBV Dosage % weight DNA(pg/μg HBV DNA (pg/μg RNA (log tran- Drug (mg/kg/d) change ± sd mean ±sd) mean ± sd) scripts ± sd) 6a 400 4.5 ± 3.5 24.3 ± 19 10.5 ± 9.3** 11.4 ± 0.4 6k 300 4.3 ± 1.8 13.3 ± 12 5.7 ± 3.2** 10.8 ± 0.4 ADV 10 5.2± 1.5   1.7 ± 1.1**  0.9 ± 1.1*** 10.5 ± 0.4 placebo — 2.7 ± 2.9  65 ±79 57 ± 36  10.6 ± 0.5

TABLE 7 Serum HBeAg, Serum HBsAg Dosage PEI U/mL^(a) (signal/cutoff Drug(mg/kg/d) (mean ± sd) units ± sd) 6a 400 64 ± 6.0 68 ± 66 6k 300 67 ±0.6 55 ± 59 ADV 10 59 ± 9.7 73 ± 52 placebo — 66 ± 0.9 86 ± 59

The patent and scientific literature referred to herein establishes theknowledge that is available to those with skill in the art. All UnitedStates patents and published or unpublished United States patentapplications cited herein are incorporated by reference. All publishedforeign patents and patent applications cited herein are herebyincorporated by reference. All other published references, documents,manuscripts and scientific literature cited herein are herebyincorporated by reference.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described withreferences to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the scope of the inventionencompassed by the appended claims.

1. A pronucleotide of formula (I):

or the racemates, enantiomers, diastereomers, geometric isomers,tautomers thereof, wherein X=absent, O, NH, NR, S; X₁=absent, O, NH;A=absent, aryl, aralkyl; n=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; R=alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl,aralkyl, heterocylic, O-alkyl, O-heteroaryl, or steroidal; R₁ is H, OH,O-alkyl, alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, aralkyl, heterocyclic, O-aryl,O-heteroarylaryl, heterocyclic; R₂ is O-alkyl, alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl,aralkyl, heterocyclic, O-aryl, or O-heteroarylaryl; R₃ is selected fromhydrogen, alkyl, C(O)-alkyl, C(O)O-alkyl, C(O)-aryl, C(O)O-aryl,C(O)NH-alkyl, and C(O)NH-aryl; Y, Z are independently, O and S; B₁, B₂are independently adenine, guanine, thymine, cytosine, uracil ormodified nucleobases; and m=1 to 40; wherein said alkyl as appear in R,R₁, R₂, and R₃, each independently, is further optionally substituted byone or more moieties selected from the group consisting of —F, —Cl, —Br,—I, —OH, protected hydroxyl, —CN, —NO₂, amino, protected amino,—NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NH-aryl,—NH-heteroaryl, —NH-heterocycloalkyl, -dialkylamino, -diarylamino,-diheteroarylamino, —O—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —O—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—O—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —O-aryl, —O-heteroaryl, —O-heterocycloalkyl,—-C(O)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —C(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —C(O)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl,—C(O)-aryl, —C(O)-heteroaryl, —C(O)-heterocycloalkyl, —CONH₂,—CONH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —CONH-alkenyl, —CONH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —CONH-aryl,—CONH-heteroaryl, —CONH-heterocycloalkyl, —OCO₂—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—OCO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —OCO₂—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —OCO₂-aryl,—OCO₂-heteroaryl, —OCO₂-heterocycloalkyl, —OCONH₂, —OCONH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—OCONH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —OCONH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —OCONH-aryl,—OCONH-heteroaryl, —OCONH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(O)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—NHC(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHC(O)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(O)-aryl,—NHC(O)-heteroaryl, —NHC(O)-heterocycloalkyl, —NHCO₂—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—NHCO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHCO₂—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHCO₂-aryl,—NHCO₂-heteroaryl, —NHCO₂-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(O)NH₂,—NHC(O)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHC(O)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHC(O)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(O)NH-aryl, —NHC(O)NH-heteroaryl,—NHC(O)NH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(S)NH₂, —NHC(S)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—NHC(S)NH—C₂-C₁₂alkenyl, —NHC(S)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(S)NH-aryl,—NHC(S)NH-heteroaryl, —NHC(S)NH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(NH)NH₂,—NHC(NH)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHC(NH)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHC(NH)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(NH)NH-aryl, —NHC(NH)NH-heteroaryl,—NHC(NH)NH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(NH)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—NHC(NH)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHC(NH)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(NH)-aryl,—NHC(NH)-heteroaryl, —NHC(NH)-heterocycloalkyl, —C(NH)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—C(NH)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —C(NH)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —C(NH)NH-aryl,—C(NH)NH-heteroaryl, —C(NH)NH-heterocycloalkyl, —S(O)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—S(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —S(O)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —S(O)-aryl,—S(O)-heteroaryl, —S(O)-heterocycloalkyl, —SO₂NH₂, —SO₂NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—SO₂NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —SO₂NHC₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —SO₂NH-aryl,—SO₂NH-heteroaryl, —SO₂NH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHSO₂—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—NHSO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHSO₂—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHSO₂-aryl,—NHSO₂-heteroaryl, —NHSO₂-heterocycloalkyl, —CH₂NH₂, —CH₂SO₂CH₃, -aryl,-arylalkyl, -heteroaryl, -heteroarylalkyl, -heterocycloalkyl,—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, polyalkoxyalkyl, polyalkoxy, -methoxymethoxy,-methoxyethoxy, —SH, —S—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —S—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—S—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —S-aryl, —S-heteroaryl, —S-heterocycloalkyl, andmethylthiomethyl.
 2. A pronucleotide according to claim 1, representedby the formula (II):

wherein m is 1, 2 or 3; and R, X, X₁, A, n, R₁, R₂, R₃, B₁ and B₂ are aspreviously defined in claim
 1. 3. A pronucleotide according to claim 1,represented by the formula (III):

wherein R, X, X₁, A, n, R₃, B₁ and B₂ are as previously defined inclaim
 1. 4. A pronucleotide according to claim 1, represented by theformula (IV):

wherein R₄ is selected from C(O)-alkyl, C(O)O-alkyl, C(O)-aryl,C(O)O-aryl, C(O)NH-alkyl, and C(O)NH-aryl; and R, R₃, X, X₁, A and n areas previously defined in claim
 1. 5. A compound of claim 4 having theFormula A1, selected from compounds 1-8 of table 1:

wherein R, X₁, R₃ and R₄ are delineated for each example in Table 1TABLE 1 Compound No. R X₁ R₃ R₄ 1

absent H H 2

O H H 3

absent H H 4

O H H 5

O C(O)Ph H 6

O H C(O)Ph 7

absent H H 8

O H H.


6. A pronucleotide according to claim 1, represented by the formula (V):

wherein R, R₃, R_(a), X, X₁, A and n are as previously defined inclaim
 1. 7. A compound of claim 6 having the Formula B1, selected fromcompounds 9-16 of Table 2:

wherein R, X₁, R₃ and R₄ are delineated for each example in Table 2TABLE 2 Compound No. R X₁ R₃ R₄  9

absent H H 10

O H H 11

absent H H 12

O H H 13

O C(O)Ph H 14

O H C(O)Ph 15

absent H H 16

O H H.


8. A pronucleotide represented by the formula (VI):

wherein X=absent, O, NH, NR, S; X₁=absent, O, NH; A=absent, aryl,aralkyl; n=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; R=alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, aralkyl,heterocylic, O-alkyl, O-heteroaryl, or steroidal; R₃ is selected fromhydrogen, alkyl, C(O)-alkyl, C(O)O-alkyl, C(O)-aryl, C(O)O-aryl,C(O)NH-alkyl, and C(O)NH-aryl; and wherein said alkyl and aryl groups asappear in R and R₃, each independently, is further optionallysubstituted by one or more moieties selected from the group consistingof —F, —Cl, —Br, —I, —OH, protected hydroxyl, —CN, —NO₂, amino,protected amino, —NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NH-aryl, —NH-heteroaryl, —NH-heterocycloalkyl,-dialkylamino, -diarylamino, -diheteroarylamino, —O—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—O—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —O—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —O-aryl, —O-heteroaryl,—O-heterocycloalkyl, —C(O)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —C(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—C(O)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —C(O)-aryl, —C(O)-heteroaryl,—C(O)-heterocycloalkyl, —CONH₂, —CONH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—CONH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —CONH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —CONH-aryl,—CONH-heteroaryl, —CONH-heterocycloalkyl, —OCO₂—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—OCO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —OCO₂—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —OCO₂-aryl,—OCO₂-heteroaryl, —OCO₂-heterocycloalkyl, —OCONH₂, —OCONH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—OCONH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —OCONH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —OCONH-aryl,—OCONH-heteroaryl, —OCONH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(O)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—NHC(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHC(O)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(O)-aryl,—NHC(O)-heteroaryl, —NHC(O)-heterocycloalkyl, —NHCO₂—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—NHCO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHCO₂—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHCO₂-aryl,—NHCO₂-heteroaryl, —NHCO₂-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(O)NH₂,—NHC(O)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHC(O)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHC(O)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(O)NH-aryl, —NHC(O)NH-heteroaryl,—NHC(O)NH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(S)NH₂, —NHC(S)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—NHC(S)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHC(S)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(S)NH-aryl,—NHC(S)NH-heteroaryl, —NHC(S)NH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(NH)NH₂,—NHC(NH)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —NHC(NH)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl,—NHC(NH)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(NH)NH-aryl, —NHC(NH)NH-heteroaryl,—NHC(NH)NH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHC(NH)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—NHC(NH)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHC(NH)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHC(NH)-aryl,—NHC(NH)—heteroaryl, —NHC(NH)-heterocycloalkyl, —C(NH)NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—C(NH)NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —C(NH)NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —C(NH)NH-aryl,—C(NH)NH-heteroaryl, —C(NH)NH-heterocycloalkyl, —S(O)—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—S(O)—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —S(O)—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —S(O)-aryl,—S(O)-heteroaryl, —S(O)-heterocycloalkyl, —SO₂NH₂, —SO₂NH—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—SO₂NH—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —SO₂NH—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —SO₂NH-aryl,—SO₂NH-heteroaryl, —SO₂NH-heterocycloalkyl, —NHSO₂—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl,—NHSO₂—C₂-C₁₂-alkenyl, —NHSO₂—C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —NHSO₂-aryl,—NHSO₂-heterocycloalkyl, —CH₂NH₂, —CH₂SO₂CH₃-aryl, -arylalkyl,-heteroaryl, -heteroarylalkyl, -heterocycloalkyl, —C₃-C₁₂-cycloalkyl,polyalkoxyalkyl, polyalkoxy, -methoxymethoxy, -methoxyethoxy, —SH,—S—C₁-C₁₂-alkyl, —S—C₂-C₁₂-cycloalkyl, —S-aryl, —S-heteroaryl,—S-heterocycloalkyl, and methylthiomethyl.
 9. A method for treating HBVin a subject in need of such treatment comprising, administering to saidsubject a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according toclaim
 1. 10. A method for treating HBV in a subject in need of suchtreatment comprising, administering to said subject a therapeuticallyeffective amount of a compound according to claim 1, in combination withother agents.
 11. A method for treating HBV in a subject infected withresistant strains of HBV in need of such treatment comprising,administering to said subject a therapeutically effective amount of acompound according to claim 1, alone or in combination with otheragents.
 12. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeuticallyeffective amount of a compound of claim 1 in combination with apharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient.
 13. A method fortreating HBV in a subject in need of such treatment comprising,administering to said subject a therapeutically effective amount of apharmaceutical composition of claim 7.